I need some gaps filled on my understanding of the berserk universe pertaining to the this new world of light.

It seems to me that the necessary components for this reaction to occur are as follows: a twice transformed human (ganishka), a deep connection to the spiritual realm (provided by the beherit sword), and probably the merging of the realms( caused by the reincarnation of Griffith).

Femto makes special mention that the connection caused by the beherit sword slash and ganishka's form have 'opened the door.'

These are things that i'm taking as fact currently (please correct me, and feel free to be as nuanced as possible).

I guess my question is: why did this happen?(and thus enter an area which i hold as conjecture to myself)

The way i currently see it is that when a human (such as ganishka) becomes an apostle their form becomes more closely tied to the spiritual world, i'm guessing more closely than Guts or Casca (where the brand puts a person)...so beyond the interstice? Apostles are certainly closer to the abyss.

When Ganishka put himself inside the apostle's womb he, obviously, changed again. I'd say that his connection to the abyss was far stronger and that level of connection to this realm is clearly represented in not only the difference in his form from other apostles, but also in his overall consciousness and awareness of the world around him. Ganishka's initial remarks about reaching the abyss and drawing up its power are somewhat questionable in my mind. That is to say, i'm not entirely sure he entered the abyss, where the Idea resides, but entered an area beyond the scope of the Eclipse ceremonies for certain (the vortex of souls?). I doubt his descent into the abyss because i'm guessing that anyone who would travel to such an area would meet the Idea and that he would have remarked on it in some manner. But this is not necessarily so. To me, it seems like his intact apostle body, combined with his strong will, allowed him to keep some semblance of form and ego upon coming in contact with the vortex of souls to the point where he even houses it within himself. His desire for the light could be contrasted with the evil spirits desire for bodily warmth?

Thats about where i stand on ganishka given what i've seen.

It seems to me that the beherit sword with its dimension slicing ability (beherits seem to be tied to the abyss given their point of creation: The Idea) when combined with a general overlap of the realms/ weakening of the Physical realm (Griffith's ability to perform miracles and make people believe in the impossible seems to be contributing to this in addition to his presence) bridges the gap to the abyss. I base such speculation on the similarities to the abyss (see: lost episode) and pg 10-11 of 304 ( where ganishka is being replaced by a gigantic hole) (the similarity in backgrounds also probably helped Griffith make his fake 305 preview more believable). If that's the case...then it seems almost as if one world is being bypassed to bring the abyss closer to the physical realm. Given the way we've seen the beherit sword work in the past, as in Qliphoth, it seems likely that the physical realm is being pulled into the astral realm, thus helping to explain the astral like forms all the people are seen to take. Alternatively, it could be the other realms pouring into the physical realm (almost as if spiritual concentrations had properties akin to pressures of science).

Again, i'd like to hear your thoughts.

In any case, i doubt people back in Midland will have trouble seeing Puck now.

Maybe Femto was expecting Skully to show up and asked Rakshas to be their for that very reason?

That would naturally be the case if Rakshas is to have anything to do with Skully, since we already know Femto certainly was expecting him. You'd think Zodd would be clued in too though... wait, of course, his natural reaction was all part of the plan! =)

Maybe Femto was expecting Skully to show up and asked Rakshas to be their for that very reason?

We already know Femto was expecting him. It's the first thing he says in the episode. But Rakshas' involvement is still a complete unknown. I still say he was there _just_ to witness Ganishka's fall. There's still a chance we could see a little more from his experiences on it in the following episodes.

The way i currently see it is that when a human (such as ganishka) becomes an apostle their form becomes more closely tied to the spiritual world, i'm guessing more closely than Guts or Casca (where the brand puts a person)...so beyond the interstice? Apostles are certainly closer to the abyss.

Forget the Interstice man, it's just the brink between worlds -- not a real destination. Neither Schierke nor Flora explicitly include Apostles during their explanation in vol 24 about the inhabitants of the different worlds. However, since they're still essentially humans whose existence has been corrupted by evil, I'd say they're closer to the Astral world than the Ideal, yeah.

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I doubt his descent into the abyss because i'm guessing that anyone who would travel to such an area would meet the Idea and that he would have remarked on it in some manner. But this is not necessarily so.

Indeed, it's not necessarily so at all. The Abyss is a huge "ocean of feelings." The Idea of Evil, or the portion we saw of it, only exists at a specific place within it.

As for your big paragraph about exactly what is happening in the final pages of 304, it's really anyone's guess at this point, we can see a glimpse of the Ideal World within Ganishka's towering form, and it then spills out ... something over the whole world. That's about as much as we know for sure.

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In any case, i doubt people back in Midland will have trouble seeing Puck now.

Hehehe, yeah, that's pretty much a guarantee. They'll be pointing out the elves as the Trolls and Ogres lumber out of the forest to rape their women

do you think we will see some "good" spirits making appearances now that the worlds are becoming merged?

What will happen to the world is still unknown as far as the specifics of it. And while there may be positive outcomes for those who can utilize them (magicians), when you come right down to it, the God Hand are not a charitable organization. There must be some devious way they can take advantage of this merging. I just can't imagine these evil overlords would "bless" the world in a way that would truly benefit everyone. But just what that negative repercussion will be remains to be seen for now. But it's very intriguing...

What the hell will SK do now? Will his fighting spirit be broken after this turn of events?

He's likely been through much more than this before. If he truly is Gaiseric, I imagine he won't rest until the destruction of his empire is avenged. This would just be an "oops" moment for him.

======Quotes aside, I'm wondering if this is really the end of the Falconia Chapter. It feels to me like there could be oooone more episode in it to wrap the whole thing up before the inevitable changeover to Guts as the new chapter begins. I'm REAAALLY looking forward to the next few episodes! I haven't been this on-the-edge-of-my-seat in a while.

======Quotes aside, I'm wondering if this is really the end of the Falconia Chapter. It feels to me like there could be oooone more episode in it to wrap the whole thing up before the inevitable changeover to Guts as the new chapter begins. I'm REAAALLY looking forward to the next few episodes! I haven't been this on-the-edge-of-my-seat in a while.

I was wondering that my self. I think at this point, Miura, might just switch back over to the boat. That way when they get back to the mainland, we will see the changes from Guts and co's perspective.

Its interesting to me that while Miura show's us a clear change in the outward appearance of the humans (in which they all look like they've entered astral projections of themselves ala magic) we don't see any apostles? Are they going to change?

Well it might not be an actual change per se. More like they're washed over by the wave of light and see things through their spiritual selves because of it. I wouldn't expect people to constantly look like that from now on if I were you.

I thought of that too because it would be easy to lose him in the similarly ragged draping around Skull Knight's horse, would be really cool, and mostly because we still don't know what the hell he was doing up there, other than observing. That said, Rakshas being able to pull that off without SK knowing seems as far-fetched to me as Skully hitting Femto completely unawares: unlikely to succeed.

Yeah, as much as I like the idea, the way I envisioned it in the former thread was more like he'd do it in the midst of some intense action, and even then it wasn't the likeliest thing. Yet, since we didn't see SK leave, it remains a possibility that Rakshas could have somehow managed to jump through a portal after him.

Anyway, I'm curious to see what Rakshas role in this is; was he shown just to establish that he was in fact there, serving as a bodyguard, or has he yet to complete his duty, whether that involve Skully, Daiba, or whatever?

There's also the possibility that he was just observing, maybe even for personal reasons (and I guess Griffith wouldn't really care all in all). It'd be cool to see him get Daiba on the way down, though.

It seems to me that the necessary components for this reaction to occur are as follows: a twice transformed human (ganishka), a deep connection to the spiritual realm (provided by the beherit sword), and probably the merging of the realms

You make this sound very complicated when it's really very simple. Ganishka was filled with power he took from the abyss. SK's sword can cut through the worlds. It cut through Ganishka (beyond the mere physical level) and unleashed the huge power he had stored inside his giant body. That's it. Whether the merging of the worlds played a role or not is unknown.

Since we can be as nuanced as possible, allow me to say that this formulation is a bit misleading. The old Griffith ceased to exist when Femto was born. He was transformed, and he was given a new name for a reason: because while he's the same in some ways, he's also fundamentally different. What happened at the end of volume 21 was that Femto came into the world and was embodied in flesh. It's not the old Griffith that came back after spending a while wandering as a spirit. It's a different being, despite the similarities. Nuanced enough for you?

The way i currently see it is that when a human (such as ganishka) becomes an apostle their form becomes more closely tied to the spiritual world, i'm guessing more closely than Guts or Casca (where the brand puts a person)...so beyond the interstice? Apostles are certainly closer to the abyss.

That's a confusing way to put it, especially since you use vague words here ("form"). When someone becomes an apostle, his spiritual self is changed. Infused with evil. In turn, that changes his corporeal body. And when an apostle dies, as his soul departs and joins the Vortex, his body reverts to its normal self. The key to understand things here is that what is empowered is not the corporeal. It only reflects the changes that take place on a deeper level.

As for being more closely tied to the astral world than normal people, well yes, certainly they are. However, they are not necessarily beyond the Interstice. They exist both in the material and spiritual worlds, just like branded people. Finally, when it comes to the Abyss, you shouldn't assume too many things. Closer to it than branded people or not, they are still not that close, and it doesn't matter much in the end.

All in all, keep in mind that we don't know too many things about these matters.

When Ganishka put himself inside the apostle's womb he, obviously, changed again. I'd say that his connection to the abyss was far stronger and that level of connection to this realm is clearly represented in not only the difference in his form from other apostles, but also in his overall consciousness and awareness of the world around him.

"Apostle's womb"? What a misnomer. When did that become an acceptable name? It's just apostles sewn together and filled with amniotic fluid. Let's not be too creative about it. Anyway, when Ganishka transmutated again, he became something beyond apostles (and it's useless to compare him to them anymore at this point). There is no need to search for vague, unclear and unsure explanations when what he says sums it all up perfectly: "I reached the abyss of the evil world, and have gained power..."

So yes, obviously his connection to the abyss was strong since he took power directly from it. And your use of words like "realm" is confusing. We are aware of 3 different worlds in Berserk: Corporeal, Astral, Ideal. That's all.

Ganishka's initial remarks about reaching the abyss and drawing up its power are somewhat questionable in my mind. That is to say, i'm not entirely sure he entered the abyss, where the Idea resides but entered an area beyond the scope of the Eclipse ceremonies for certain (the vortex of souls?).

The problem here is to define what's part of the abyss and what isn't. Where it starts and ends. If you figure the abyss is the hole in the middle of the Vortex of Souls, then wouldn't reaching the Vortex of Souls also mean reaching the top of the abyss? I believe that trying to define places and apply limits to them by ourselves without having a solid basis for it is not a good thing. For example, "the scope of the Eclipse ceremonies" doesn't really mean anything. We know absolutely nothing about the place where Griffith's Occultation ceremony happened. And we know even less about the abyss ("abyss" being in itself a rather generic term that could be applied to different things in different contexts).

As for the Vortex of Souls, it isn't even a layer of the astral world in itself (just an area of the ocean of souls that exists at the bottom of the astral world), and probably shouldn't be defined as being before or after such and such location at this point. It's a tad subtler than that. In any case, we've just seen Ganishka opening up and what we've seen inside him tends to corroborate what he told Daiba.

I doubt his descent into the abyss because i'm guessing that anyone who would travel to such an area would meet the Idea and that he would have remarked on it in some manner. But this is not necessarily so.

Like you say, it is not necessarily so. In fact, since we know practically nothing about the Ideal part of the world, the Abyss, or the Idea of Evil, I would say that it's a pretty bad idea to assume what should or shouldn't happen in there. One thing we know is that the "ocean" that is down there is vast. Extremely so, from what we've seen of it.

To me, it seems like his intact apostle body, combined with his strong will, allowed him to keep some semblance of form and ego upon coming in contact with the vortex of souls to the point where he even houses it within himself. His desire for the light could be contrasted with the evil spirits desire for bodily warmth?

What is "intact apostle body" supposed to mean here? I just don't see how it's related at all. Ganishka, as an apostle having some magical knowledge, used the "artificial beherit" he and Daiba had created to take power for himself directly from the source. Not necessarily "housing" the whole Vortex of Souls within himself, but maybe having leeched some of it.

Also, are you associating the specters that harass Guts at night with the souls from the Vortex? Because they're two different things.

a general overlap of the realms/ weakening of the Physical realm (Griffith's ability to perform miracles and make people believe in the impossible seems to be contributing to this in addition to his presence)

We know that the worlds are merging. "The physical realm weakening" is something you made up.

if that's the case...then it seems almost as if one world is being bypassed to bring the abyss closer to the physical realm. Given the way we've seen the beherit sword work in the past, as in Qliphoth, it seems likely that the physical realm is being pulled into the astral realm, thus helping to explain the astral like forms all the people are seen to take. Alternatively, it could be the other realms pouring into the physical realm (almost as if spiritual concentrations had properties akin to pressures of science).

The abyss isn't a "world". It's just an area at the bottom of the astral world. You're contradicting yourself in your own paragraph here. Anyway, what's hard to get in "the worlds are merging"? Why the need to relate it to pulling or pouring? Anyhow, if I had to choose between the two, right now I'd rather say something is spilling into the world.

do you think we will see some "good" spirits making appearances now that the worlds are becoming merged?

It's very possible. One thing I've been wondering about is whether the God Hand can fully control what's happening or not. This new world with different principles could also mean that they will be more vulnerable in a way.

What the hell will SK do now? Will his fighting spirit be broken after this turn of events?

Who knows. But I don't think that'll stop him or even depress him (is he even capable of being depressed?). It'd be more his style to digest what happened and then think of a way to succeed the next time. Look at his reaction when his attack failed: he just factually commented on what Femto did.

Guts is going to have to go through some super powerup if he even wants to get to Skull Knight's level of not succeding.

Skull Knight was not destined to succeed at that point in time given the causality concept. The success, if and when it comes will most likely be an X factor, a random variable, that will break the chain of causality. Whoever or whatever represents that variable could be Guts, SK or someone/something else. Remember, the Idea of Evil didn't come to being because of people thinking happy thoughts.

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Now I ride with the mocking and friendly ghouls on the night windAnd play by day in the catacombsI know that light is not for me, save that of the moonYet in my new wildness and freedom I welcome the bitterness of alienageFor I know always that I am an outsider...an outsider...stranger in this century...for a timeA stranger among those who are still...men

The past few chapters have been blowing me away. Anyhow just had a comment since it seems pretty clear Femto was expecting SK and may or may not have needed SK's intervention to usher in the new world I am curious as to say maybe SK also knew that his attack would cause this changeover. Perhaps Femto/Griffith will somehow be "attackable" in the new world/vunerable and SK needed this to happen as much as Femto did. A "just as planned moment" for both parties perhaps?

The past few chapters have been blowing me away. Anyhow just had a comment since it seems pretty clear Femto was expecting SK and may or may not have needed SK's intervention to usher in the new world I am curious as to say maybe SK also knew that his attack would cause this changeover. Perhaps Femto/Griffith will somehow be "attackable" in the new world/vunerable and SK needed this to happen as much as Femto did. A "just as planned moment" for both parties perhaps?

They are episodes not chapters (someone else would have come in anyways to corrected you.)

As for SK, I really don't think it was his plan to come in and give Griffith/Femto a helping hand. If he wanted to give them a helping hand I really don't think he would have done the Portal situation all of a sudden and take a swipe at the back.

So I wonder what the new world is going to be like? If its any worst than some of troubled towns of Berserk, times are going hard. I wonder if a big white castle is going to show up, and Griffith instantly becomes a king now that nothing is standing in his way. I mean he goats everything he needs, a princess, soldiers that are human and monster, he gots commoners, and even some of the religious folk. All he needs now a place with a throne, and after this big battle I bet everyone there is willing to fall to their needs for him. Thinking he beat such a creature and that good stuff.

I'm curious if this forces others with power like Flora out of hiding since I THINK it might be easier for them to be reached/attacked because of the recent events.

I wonder how they'll be affected, but the thing is, I'm not sure there are many like her left.

This reminds me of something I'd speculated about Daiba a while ago though: that maybe the power emanating from Ganishka, in which he was caught at almost point-blank range, could enhance his magical powers.

So I wonder what the new world is going to be like? If its any worst than some of troubled towns of Berserk, times are going hard. I wonder if a big white castle is going to show up, and Griffith instantly becomes a king now that nothing is standing in his way. I mean he goats everything he needs, a princess, soldiers that are human and monster, he gots commoners, and even some of the religious folk. All he needs now a place with a throne, and after this big battle I bet everyone there is willing to fall to their needs for him. Thinking he beat such a creature and that good stuff.

Haha, now that's a hard question. Maybe spiritual creatures will be roaming the world. If trolls, ogres, kelpies and other such creatures are everywhere things are going to be tough for the average villager. And what if specters attacked people at night like they've been attacking Guts & Casca so far? Bring on the curfew. As for a white castle showing up, who knows. Falconia (the new capital) could also be rebuilt by Wyndham's citizens and Griffith's army (humans and apostles together). Or maybe when the light fades, a perfect city will be standing where Wyndham was before.

I wonder how they'll be affected, but the thing is, I'm not sure there are many like her left.

What's still interesting to ponder is if it was an isolated incident targeting her individually for her unique status, as it appears, or if it was one example of something greater being systematically carried out, perhaps still; a magic user final solution of sorts.

I don't think he did. He aimed his attack at Femto, not at Ganishka. And it's Femto it would have hit if he hadn't distorted space.

The way Femto was literally manipulating it between his fingers makes you wonder if the blow was even a direct deflection of Skully's original strike, or if Femto captured it for his own, spun it around, and could have played jump rope with it, before slapping it down between Ganishka's eyes. Or, if there's even a difference, but semantics and interpretation aside, whether or not Femto was being more passive or active about it, I doubt it was an accident on Femto's part.

As for a white castle showing up, who knows. Falconia (the new capital) could also be rebuilt by Wyndham's citizens and Griffith's army (humans and apostles together). Or maybe when the light fades, a perfect city will be standing where Wyndham was before.

I don't know if someone else has said this but!!!!!! Ganishka has died so Daiba doesnt have no one to follow. He's going to be the next person to join Guts crew!

I think that Daiba will attack Femto or maybe SK one last time, but Rakshas will be all like "I will be the one to kill him" and deflect his blow. Also, was Raskhas waiting on top of Ganishka the whole time or was he waiting for Femto? If Femto knew that SK would be there wouldn't he know about him?

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"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." -Stephen Hawking

What's still interesting to ponder is if it was an isolated incident targeting her individually for her unique status, as it appears, or if it was one example of something greater being systematically carried out, perhaps still; a magic user final solution of sorts.

Indeed. Since there hasn't been any mention of a widescale witch hunt, I tend to think it was an isolated incident. However I've also been thinking that magic users could possibly be persecuted in the "new world". Maybe some people will also start developing powers (like Sonia?) arbitrarily. Lots of interesting possibilities.

The way Femto was literally manipulating it between his fingers makes you wonder if the blow was even a direct deflection of Skully's original strike, or if Femto captured it for his own, spun it around, and could have played jump rope with it, before slapping it down between Ganishka's eyes. Or, if there's even a difference, but semantics and interpretation aside, whether or not Femto was being more passive or active about it, I doubt it was an accident on Femto's part.

Yeah it's true the panels aren't completely clear on whether Femto simply deformed the slash so it'd hit Ganishka or if he stopped it, then used it for himself. In any case, it shows once more how superior the members of the God Hand are to anything else. They're just on a completely different level.

I don't know if someone else has said this but!!!!!! Ganishka has died so Daiba doesnt have no one to follow. He's going to be the next person to join Guts crew!

As a matter of fact people have said so long ago already. However can you tell me how and why would Daiba join Guts? They didn't get along so well the last time they met, and I doubt things have changed, especially as far as Guts is concerned. He's not a fan of people who associate with apostles. And they aren't exactly next to each other right now anyway.

I think that Daiba will attack Femto or maybe SK one last time, but Rakshas will be all like "I will be the one to kill him" and deflect his blow.

One last time? It's not like he's ever attacked either one of them before. And considering the fact Ganishka just exploded to his face, he might not have the opportunity to do anything at all. SK's most likely already gone, and what could Daiba possibly hope to do to Femto anyway?